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It is with enormous pleasure that I introduce to you Melissa. She captures some of the most beautiful food photographs that I have ever laid eyes on. You can almost reach out and grab the delicious delights that she has photographed. I bet they taste amazing too. You may be familiar with her food journalism pieces in Desi-Info and do look out for her food article coming out in Living South Magazine next month for Christmas hot spots. Most importantly she has also been involved in an art direction shoot with David Loftus; Oh My God - yes! If she's good enough for Jamie Oliver, then she's definitely good enough for A Light Perspective. Enjoy this guest post my lovely readers!
Food and design
are my two greatest loves. Food photography is for me, the perfect combination
of them both. There is nothing worse than a beautifully prepared meal that is
terribly photographed- case and point, many of those horrible 90’s cook books.
You all know the ones I mean- sterile, flat and unappetising.
Before I began
cooking, painting was my thing, and I have found that a lot of the great food
stylists out there apply the same rules of the canvas to the lens. Here’s my
hit list of 5 easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy tips to styling your food shots.
1. Texture
Texture plays a
huge part in food; both in it’s preparation and it’s photography. Often when we
cook a meal, we are advised to add ingredients that will form layers of
texture, and this is something I would also greatly advise when you photograph
your food. Dishes that have dynamic
exteriors, or those that have great contrast in their surfaces make for great
subjects. Even something as simple and un-extraordinary as a humble strawberry
can be a pleasure to photograph with it’s pitted skin and green foliage.
2. Props/ authenticity
A fantastic way of
transforming your shots, is to use accessorize your plate. The lists of
possibilities are endless, crockery, cutlery, ribbon, chopping boards and so
on. The trick is to find to things that will match your dish and give your
photos an extra lift. Cooking a curry, then why not photograph in an authentic tiffin
carrier? Homemade bread looks great in an organic basket and chopsticks make
for a simple stamp of the East. You get my point. If you can’t find what you
want in your own kitchen, then raid your mum’s house- trust me, I’ve picked up
some absolute gems from mine; and if you’re after something a little different,
then head to your local charity shop. There’ll be a veritable treasure chest of
goodies there. Last visit, I picked up a set of beautiful hand glazed 1920’s
tea-cups for 80p. Who say’s you can’t put a price on happiness?
3. Garnishing
Another prop that
people often forget is garnishing- and I’m not just talking about a sad
sprinkling of parsley- I mean, enough already, there are other herbs out there!
No, by garnishing, I mean, taking any part of your dish and using it to really
tell the story of it. Jamie Oliver is an absolute master of this. After you
have prepared your meal, always leave a handful of ingredients so that you can
topple it on the surface and finish your dish. Items like seeds and herbs are
great as they will give great texture and vivid colour and will always look
fresh.
4. Difference in heights
Now this seems
like an odd one, but photographing food that is stacked looks amazing. There is
no particular science to it, but as with the element of texture, stacking
techniques create shadows and the more inventive the food arrangement, the more
interesting the shot.
5. Creativity
At the end of the
day, food is meant to be fun, so have fun with photographing it. There are no
rules, so always try to push what you can do with it. More inventive and adventurous
presentation will engage your viewers and make your food come alive, so give it
a go!
By Melissa Bakth.
What do you think lovely readers? Do comment below with your thoughts or questions for Melissa. I look forward to hearing from you.
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